


with calm, belong

by sapoeysap



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Drabble, Multi, oh and the cats are here, please someone make an ironic podfic reading of this, rareandrewweek, the most important part of the fandom is stanning obi and wellington
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 10:52:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18281384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapoeysap/pseuds/sapoeysap
Summary: A few drinks, corner store run and a takeaway later, the four of them are spread out in the room, crackle of an ambience record in the background, the cats asleep after being fed.or the one in which Shane and Andrew keep disappearing to the basement and Sara's too smart for her own good.





	with calm, belong

**Author's Note:**

> written in about two hours while a few files were rendering. as usual unbeta'd so shout if mistakes or it doesnt make sense. i wanted it done before the 29th ended.
> 
> i wanted to write a shane welcome to night vale au. but it ended up as this, but i've always wanted to do a rarepair challenge so bonus.
> 
> if ur name is in the tags and your past the lock on this fic don't read it. your names are basically placeholders this whole thing is fiction. don't bother anyone about ships irl yada yada.

Thespi and Sara try not to make too much of it. The sudden chumminess of Andrew and Shane, the way the both of them have been sidetracked so the two men can go down to the basement of the Rubin/Madej household and do who knows what for a few hours.

The third time it happens, Sara opens the door to find a beaming Andrew holding a cat carrier and a slightly apologetic looking Thespi. Wellington and Obi take to each other, roaming the house together while the men disappear down the steps. Sara and Thespi have polite chatter, Thespi’s a considerate houseguest, sharing recipes and cups of herbal teas. Checking e-mails while Sara gets on with drawing. They wait out the roughly two hours their significant others spend in the basement, watching the cats idle and bask in the sun under the windowsill with all the plants and paint stains. Sara’s camera roll is half pictures of the two cats together. Except she’s been sworn to not post them anywhere. That there could be no evidence of Shane and Andrew spending time together. When Shane asks, with a more serious face than normal, she abides, but her and Thespi mull over the reasoning. No thorough conclusion has been made, apart from a joking ‘wouldn’t want Ryan getting jealous’

The ‘play dates’ as the girls have dubbed them, mean nice routine company and friendship, they are all friends at work but it’s never really translated to anything outside the office. By the 4th visit Thespi’s chatting about how she never cooks any more since Andrew moved in, and how much she misses the relaxation she found in cooking, but it’s easier and tastier when Andrew cooks.

On the 5th play date, Andrew and Shane emerge from the basement slightly red cheeked and guilty looking, to find Sara and Thespi making samosas in the kitchen. Obi and Wellington watching with the kind of interest that hungry cats have.

 

* * *

 

The samosas work out as some sort of ice breaker. And clearly whatever Shane and Andrew are doing has caused them a modicum of guilt. Both of them are uncharacteristically saccharine sweet. Mooning over the girls and putting too many compliments on what are not exactly the best samosas ever made.

Shane shoots Sara a look she’s familiar with, mixed in with something new. The first look is ‘bedroom eyes’ the second look is something slightly guilty. Maybe. She thinks she understands.

An offer shared, stay for drinks, guest rooms made up sort of suggestions.

A few drinks, corner store run and a takeaway later, the four of them are spread out in the room, crackle of an ambience record in the background, the cats asleep after being fed.

Andrew and Shane are jesting each other over music, but the specific context in which there discussing it, finally clues Sara in to what is going on. She knows Shane too well, and the way his and Andrew’s faces change when their necks turn to face her, she knows she’s right.

‘You’re recording a podcast’

And then twenty seconds later it hits her even more.

‘You had to make kissing noises so you idiots just decided to kiss each other didn’t you’

Thespi’s giggling herself off the sofa. Andrew is stammering.

‘Sara are you a savant.’

‘I just put all the clues together’

‘What clues?’

‘Shane we share a living space, are practically in each other’s pockets sometimes, you didn’t think I noticed how many podcasts you’ve been listening too. And you picked the one person in our work circle that has the same sort of weird history interests as you do’

‘Actually it’s a sort of a sci-fi podcast’ Andrew chimes in.

‘Why would we kiss for a history podcast?’

 

 

They end up listening to the first 3 episodes, the fruit of 5 nights of creation. It’s good, about two radio hosts who broadcast from a post-apocalyptic world, telling stories about ancient myths and battles. Cut up with sad songs and memories while the two send ‘broadcasts’ out for other survivors, in the hope someone is out there.

By the time the third episode comes to a close, Sara is in a weird headspace, slightly on edge from the alcohol and the lonely but hopeful vibe of the podcast. It leaves her feeling sad and empty yet surrounded and grounded at the same time.

It’s Thespi that asks.

‘I never heard any kissing. Why did you two kiss then’

Sara thinks she gets why. The basement is kind of stark, voices bounce off the concrete walls. That and the content of the story, they probably just kissed for comfort, caught up in the headspace of the radio hosts. She’s not bothered, just slinks herself further into Shane, steals his warmth and lets him know she’s not mad.

Far from it actually.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Andrew comes to Shane with the idea.

A podcast built up from their shared interest in history, and obscure knowledge tastes. That they upload it anonymously and not to get any interest from BuzzFeed fans. Obscure their voices in bad transatlantic style accents.

He loves podcasts, these little worlds transported right into your brain through headphones, and he’s always wanted to do one. Shane is only more than willing, offering up his basement to record in. Say’s it’s the perfect atmosphere for what Andrew wants. Shane also seems content to let Andrew take the lead.

It’s like an after-work project, a labour of love. Bonus that Thespi and Sara get on so well Andrew thinks.

They’ve spent time together before, Shane and Andrew, but never in close quarters like this.

Andrew’s not afraid of developing a few healthy work crushes, he and Thespi are strong. He’s not exactly a touchy co-worker, but spend enough time trapped in cars with Steven Lim and you start to become a bit of one. Especially around people you trust, there’s been a few late night make outs with Adam. In hotel rooms on the other side of the world from LA, just out of seeking contact with others.

But the crush Andrew develops on Shane is different, probably because its not developed at a neutral space like work, or in bland hotel rooms which blur into one and are the same nearly every time (par that one with the beautiful view of the Osaka skyline). It’s one developed in home, creature comforts.

Thespi laughs when he suggests bringing Wellington along, and that’s when he realises how bad he’s got it for Shane. She knows about his crushes and the kisses with Adam, she gets it. And that’s what makes it easy, for Andrew, to fall that little bit further.

The Hot Daga is infamous for its stupidity and its scope. Proof that Shane, when he applies himself, is a good storyteller. He’s got Andrew sat with rapt attention as he weaves a sad story into the microphone. This tale of how the fictional radio host Shane is playing, ventured across the barren landscape of his hometown, and his friends and loved ones are nothing but dust, spread into the ruins of buildings where only wild flowers grow.

Andrew feels lonely, like he wants to be one of those wild flowers, growing in the place of old, but is instead the dust floating away in the wind, split into thousands of particles floating in thousands of directions.

It’s easier to leave the recording going, there both proficient editors. Shane snaps out of character at the end of the story, when his eyes meet Andrews.

‘Too much’

Andrew can’t help himself, he leans over into Shane’s space. Just to feel like he’s not alone.

It’s Shane who tilts his neck down, presses a kiss into Andrews hair, then on his brow. Then pushes the softest kiss into Andrews lips.

Andrew barely has time to return it before Shane is pulling away.

‘Don’t be’

He say’s before Shane can say ‘I’m sorry’

But at the same time, Shane say’s. ‘I’m not’

They wrap the podcast up, finish the story, and there’s a silent vow never to speak of this to anyone outside the house.

When Sara realises, he wants to find himself feeling guilty. But he can’t. He watches her kiss Shane and instead of feeling stupid or a fool. He realises she gets it. The way the podcast made him feel, Shane’s sad story.

 

* * *

 

It takes a few more recording sessions and they have a rough ‘season one’, there’s a few hundred kisses or so in-between him and Shane, and sometimes the both of them surface from the basement to find Thespi pushing slight kisses into Sara’s cheek.

The podcast origins remain a secret between the four of them, no one at work pays any attention, even when it starts to go viral and one of their colleagues ends up writing an article about the ‘hot new queer dystopian podcast’. Because of course, if Andrew is falling for Shane, then his in show persona ends up falling for Shane’s persona too.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from R.E.M's belong, the idea for this came to me while i was sat at a bus stop in the dark listening to songs about apocalyptic happenings.


End file.
